Carlsberg don't make scrambled eggs......

[British Red]

I have just been eating leftovers for brunch (as I do when BB is away).

I stumbled across a couple of duck eggs from a local place and a third of a pot of single cream. So scrambled eggs ensued with a good grind of pepper and sea salt.

I have no idea if anyone has ever scrambled duck eggs in cram before, but if not, I claim the Nobel prize for cooking

Absolutely stunning taste - light, rich, delicately flavoured and (when served as these were with fried up left over roast potatoes), very satisfying.

If you can get duck eggs (which have always been my favourite), do try it - its a revelation!

 

[sandbender]

mmmm, sounds good, I must try it.

My favourite leftover food recipe is fishcakes, I always seem to make too much mash and fishcakes are a tasty treat for tea time.

 

[Clouston98]

Duck eggs- don't remember having tried them but I've had quail and they were fast too! I really want a goose (unless it starts breaking my arms off!) because I had a goose egg of a friend who kept them years ago and it was tasty and practically filled the bloody frying pan! I have a shop in mind that I think would stock duck eggs so the next time we're they're I'll try and get some!

 

[British Red]

You won't regret it Cameron - they don't have a strong or gamey taste - but there is much more yolk and much less white than a hens egg making a much "richer taste". When mixed with cream it is very soft and delicate but almost cakey in taste - very nice

 

[Harvestman]

Duck eggs are lovely. Goose eggs too.

Always wanted to try an ostrich egg, but my local supplier wants £11 per egg and I'm not paying that!

 

[British Red]

I had a cake baked with Ostrich egg made by one of the neighbours recently - it was lovely and very light - but she bakes great cakes anyway. I'm honestly not sure I could taste any difference.

 

[mousey]

I have two ducks, and they consistently lay every day, it's a pity that my kids don't like them. They however do go nicely into cakes, if I can manage to save one before they are baked into various things, or given to neighbours, I'll happily gobble them up.

If ones got cracked somehow the dogs go mental for it.

 

[British Red]

That's interesting mousey - do the kids like hens eggs?

 

[bilmo-p5]

I do like a duck egg from time to time. Today I also had leftovers for lunch; a bubble & squeak sort of thing made with boiled potatoes and cauliflower cheese from last night's dinner.

 

[Clouston98]

You won't regret it Cameron - they don't have a strong or gamey taste - but there is much more yolk and much less white than a hens egg making a much "richer taste". When mixed with cream it is very soft and delicate but almost cakey in taste - very nice

Mmm tasty- you've got me wanting them already!

 

[Goatboy]

Sounds lovely Red, I do like a good egg.

Used to keep chickens, ducks and geese on the farm. And greedily gobbled up all the eggs. Soft poached with homemade bread, toasted with lashings of butter and a good twist of pepper. Luverly!

Though I generally don't like chips I do like egg and chips. (Which was a taste revelation after not having it in years.) Also good as you say with boiled tatties, sautéed in butter and herbs with a soft runny yielding egg! Heaven.

 

[British Red]

Also good as you say with boiled tatties, sautéed in butter and herbs with a soft runny yielding egg! Heaven.

Isn't funny how a nice, home grown, version of "peasant food" is probably some of the finest food on the planet.

I nearly posted a picture today of what a "free range" chook should really look like but thought "they will think I'm mad". Maybe I'll post it after all

 

[Goatboy]

I think you should. I love food and think that good comforting homegrown stuff is often overshadowed by fancy dishes. I spent an age getting my macaroni cheese recipe just right, love a cottage pie. A mate cooked me a meal last night, he's a fantastic cook, specialises in middle eastern food. But he's just back from Marrakesh where he was out simplifying things and made me a very simple tagine. It was wonderful, their version of our mince and tatties very simple. (That cook book I was talking about the other day when you were doing your wonderful beans is full of simple and old legacy dishes). I was brought up on not very costly food, but my folks always put something good on the table.

Look forward to the pictures, they'll make me hungry though no doubt.

 

[British Red]

Here you go then

To me "free range" does not mean "occasional access to a small fenced area when other chickens are not in it"

THIS is free range

THIS is free range chickens by British Red, on Flickr

The chooks are my neighbours - he lets them wander and today they are "gleaning" fallen wheat from a wheat field - but also grubbing for worms. If you look to the chicken on the right below, you can see one leg back and the ground torn up as she seeks worms and grubs.

Free range chicken (scratching) by British Red, on Flickr

They make great tasting eggs - and will be killed for the pot. But they have a great life in the mean time!

 

[Clouston98]

Our chooks do that! Little beasties leave holes where they've been digging them up and we've caught them stealing black currants too! They've got an acre and a half between four of them which is pretty good but they've really got no limit!

 

[British Red]

Our chooks do that! Little beasties leave holes where they've been digging them up and we've caught them stealing black currants too! They've got an acre and a half between four of them which is pretty good but they've really got no limit!

That's natural bird behaviour for you. You'll have to fence them when you have veg to stop them scoffing all the carrot tops - but you have enough room to give them "room to roam"

 

[Clouston98]

That's natural bird behaviour for you. You'll have to fence them when you have veg to stop them scoffing all the carrot tops - but you have enough room to give them "room to roam"

Yeah we thought we'd put a little fenced area around the veg plot which will probably be four large raised beds - maybe 25 square metres- so they can still have jolly japes in the rest of the garden! Funny little things, two of them walked into my man cave when I was pottering on. I heard a noise a looked to find two chickens looking at me with puzzled faces. They know where the food is and they go into the woodshed to try and steel it if we leave the door open. They would come in the house if we let them but we don't fancy chicken poo inside so we don't let them enter. Oh yes - so far we've had two double Yolkers! Brilliant stuff I do like them- we should be getting a few bantems soon too

 

[Goatboy]

Nice healthy looking birds Red, and ideal ground for them to cover and scratch around in. The colour, texture and taste of a good egg is wonderful compared to the paper thin shelled watery mess that farmed eggs are. Something that I've picked up from Moorish cooking over the years is that often when making a stew of some sort I'll make a couple of little wells about 10-20 mins from the end and break eggs into them. Then it bakes in the juices of the stew and is very good.

On the keeping birds around the place the geese were great guard dogs. Hearing better than a dogs and more folk were scared of them than they were of dogs. They're slightly unhinged geese. And wonderful to eat too. I have no problems with killing birds when it's time, they have a great life and get treated with respect, before, during and after death.

 

[mousey]

British Red, yes the kids do like hen eggs but as with most things they'll go it fit's and starts with them we have on occasions got through 2 dosen eggs in a day [a complete house hold of 5], at other times they're not interested. But they are steadfast in the dislike for a duck egg.

We also got a couple of chickens recently. I was worried about how much space to give them, and looked up on google - apparently to be classed a 'free range' chicken it needs 2 square metres, seems a bit small to me but there you go. I've only got a smallish garden but manage to fence off 30 square metres for 2 hens.

 

[British Red]

British Red, yes the kids do like hen eggs but as with most things they'll go it fit's and starts with them we have on occasions got through 2 dosen eggs in a day [a complete house hold of 5], at other times they're not interested. But they are steadfast in the dislike for a duck egg.

We also got a couple of chickens recently. I was worried about how much space to give them, and looked up on google - apparently to be classed a 'free range' chicken it needs 2 square metres, seems a bit small to me but there you go. I've only got a smallish garden but manage to fence off 30 square metres for 2 hens.

Isn't that strange? I honestly don't find the taste particularly different - other than the larger yolk of course. I bet they will change their mind as they grow up